It is well known that water and moisture from condensation in internal combustion systems and fuel storage systems result in increased maintenance problems and decrease operating efficiency. Sludge, varnish, gum and carbon deposits derived primarily from sulfuric acid build-up increases wear on fuel systems and engine components, increasing maintenance costs substantially.
Further problems associated with the water phase which is nearly always present in fuel storage systems are the loss of expensive fuel additives from the hydrocarbon fuel to a distinct and separate water phase in contact therewith, known as partitioning, as well as possible icing and bacterial or microbial growth. Such icing and bacterial growth can lead to malfunction of engine systems by clogging fuel filters, freeze-ups of fuel lines, and the like.
Typical commercially available products commonly used to combat the foregoing problems contain as a primary component methanol or another alcohol compound used largely to prevent the icing problems. These commercially available products operate by mixing with the fuel/water mixture in engine and fuel storage systems, allowing the fuel to separate from the water, leaving a water and additive containing phase floating on top of the fuel phase, generally in the form of a milky white liquid. The primary problem of such currently available additives is that, while more or less effectively removing water from the fuel phase, in the fuel storage system, such additives leave the water within the fuel storage system, albeit in a minimally hazardous form, thus diminishing to some extent the fuel storage capacity and permitting additional water condensation within the fuel system to eventually exceed the capacity of the additive to completely eliminate the distinct water phase.
The addition of a polyhydroxy alcohol and/or a glycol ether is known and practiced as a means to inhibit and eliminate microbial growth and resultant metal corrosion within hydrocarbon fuel systems. This, however, has no effect on the water/additive phase which floats atop the fuel phase.
It is apparent from the foregoing discussion that the ideal additive to a hydrocarbon fuel system should eliminate, rather than merely sterilize, the water phase within the hydrocarbon fuel storage system, thus effectively eliminating all of the dangers and maintenance problems associated with water and moisture condensation in such systems.
Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a method for eliminating water from a hydrocarbon fuel storage or combustion system.
Other aspects and the numerous advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon further consideration of the specifications and the appended claims.
According to the invention set forth herein, the existence of a separate water phase within a fuel storage or combustion system is eliminated by the step of adding to the fuel and/or water a chemical composition containing a dispersant which results in the emulsification of all concentrations of water in the system thereby preventing rust and corrosion, increasing operating efficiency, and eliminating the other deleterious effects of water within a fuel containing system. The additive invention thus combined with the untreated hydrocarbon fuel provides a clear, stable, liquid fuel composition by completely emulsifying all water into the hydrocarbon fuel within the system, thus providing a uniform fuel composition that burns efficiently through the combustion process eliminating all freestanding water from the system. This has the further beneficial effect of providing a detergent action which eliminates gum and varnish build-up in fuel valves, lines, pumps, injectors, nozzles and the like, allowing operation at optimum efficiency.
More specifically, it has been found according to the invention, that the addition of about 0.01% by volume of the additive invention herein to bulk fuel storage tanks provides optimal results. The additive is preferably introduced before or during delivery of fuel. Initial treatments for either bulk storage or individual vehicle systems is found to have optimum results from use of a concentration of at least twice the above concentration to provide quick clean-up of existing water deposits in fuel systems.
Thus, according to the invention, there is provided, in a preferred embodiment, a chemical mixture for use as an additive in liquid hydrocarbon fuel and/or water, comprising a chemical compound having hydrophilic qualities selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol, n-butyl alcohol, ether and cellosolve (methyl ether of ethylene glycol); ethoxylated nonylphenol; nonylphenol polyethylene glycol ether and, optionally, methanol.
More specifically, the invention comprises the foregoing chemicals in a combination comprising, by weight, a hydrophilic agent in the range of 20 to 37%, ethoxylated nonylphenol in the range of 26-35%, nonylphenol polyethylene glycol ether in the range of 32-43% and methanol in a trace amount of less than 0.1% by weight. A still more preferred composition consists of approximately 32% of the hydrophilic agent, 30% of ethoxylated nonylphenol, 38% of the nonylphenol polyethylene glycol ether and approximately 0.06% methanol by weight.
The additive disclosed in the invention represents an improvement over existing additive technology in the following manner: scientific individual comparison of the invention additive to existing additives discloses that the invention performs in an obviously more effective way. Where a quantity of commonly known and commercially available additive is added to, and mixed with, a combination of fuel and water (which exist in separate phase from one and other), the result is that the fuel will separate from the water and fuel additive which appear in combination, apart from the fuel, to form a milky white liquid. The same procedure with the additive taught by the invention, results in the water being emulsified and absorbed into the fuel, resulting in the entire mixture being a uniform, clear liquid. Moreover, the blending effect and the liquid's clarity remain constant, and combustion can be completed without any difference between a combination of fuel and water in one case and a combination of fuel, water and the invention additive in another case.
These differences demonstrate two major qualitative advantages of the invention over the existing additives' technology: Firstly, the invention additive removes water from the fuel system, thereby eliminating or reducing the harmful effects of rust and corrosion. Secondly, the invention additive runs the entire water/fuel mixture through the engine, thereby cleaning and purifying the fuel system in the process of eliminating the water from the fuel tank.
Existing hydrocarbon fuel system additives act primarily as anti-freeze and de-icing agents, i.e., anti-icing agents, and contain strong methanol bases for such purposes. While the invention additive herein may optionally contain a trace amount of methanol, it differs importantly and substantially from existing commonly used additives by completely removing, rather than merely sterilizing, water found in a fuel system. Additionally, the invention additive will disperse and dissipate sludge and harmful deposits which have built up in fuel storage and engine systems.